That Bamf Thing? Hereditary
by onlymystory
Summary: Look, Stiles is a BAMF. He's got google-fu like nobody's business, plus he's pretty handy with a bat. But the thing is, his badassery? Inherited. But Stiles is about to learn that everybody has secrets and Sheriff Stilinski's are a doozy.
1. Chapter 1

**Quick heads up: Some of you may have read this before. It's not a new story, just posted differently. I was doing all my BAMF!Stiles stories in one set, since they're related by his Bamfery (though nothing else). AO3 lets me do a series so it works there. But now that one of the stories (That Bamf Thing? Hereditary) is six chapters, it feels too confusing to keep them all together here. So I'm splitting them out. That's why if you're reading and thinking 'gosh this seems familiar', it is.**

* * *

To say Stiles was stressed was an understatement. The Alpha pack had kidnapped Scott, Isaac, and Jackson yesterday morning. His dad had to be brought in with both Scott and Jackson reported as missing. And Stiles knew he was going to have to explain all about the supernatural. On top of all that, he was trying to hide some serious feelings for Derek and wishing the claw marks Kali had given him a few days ago would hurry up and heal.

He was standing by his jeep now with Derek and Peter, waiting for John Stilinski to pull up and meet them.

John drove up and strode over. "What's going on, Stiles?" He nodded to the two Hales. "Peter. Derek."

"There's something I need to tell you, Dad," started Stiles.

"I'm afraid we have a bit of a problem," said Peter at the same time.

The Sheriff looked sharply at Peter and Derek. "I thought you two took care of the kanima."

"They did but…" Stiles' voice trailed off. "How the fuck do you know about the kanima?"

"Language," said John. "Well? Jackson's fine now and I took care of Gerard so one of you explain what the current problem is right now. I'm up to three missing kids and my son has claw marks that are flirting with the border of a turn. Why is there another alpha in Beacon Hills? I was under the impression Peter did not regain that power when he came back from the dead."

Stiles gaped.

Peter stared, looking more impressed than Stiles thought possible for the werewolf.

Derek managed to stammer out an answer. "You know about all this stuff?"

Okay, so answer was a strong word. Stiles felt happy that the two werewolves seemed as blindsided as he was.

"It's an alpha pack, Dad," answered Stiles, recovering before the other too.

"Shit," noted the Sheriff.

"Language. Also Jackson's not fine."

John glared at his son. "He's a werewolf with a healthy anchor. Yes, he is. How many Alphas? Do you know their leader?"

"Deucalion is the leader," said Derek.

"Damn. That's going to limit the ways to solve the problem. Why are they targeting Stiles?"

"They're targeting more than just me," said Stiles.

"No they're not."

"Yes, they are," interrupted Peter. "Or to be more accurate, the Alphas, four of them, are attacking Derek by targeting Stiles. Taking away several of his betas weakens Derek but the Alphas know perfectly well that as long as Derek has his anchor, he'll be difficult to defeat if not impossible."

Stiles' eyes widened at Derek. "Wait. I'm your anchor?! Since when?!"

"I don't know," muttered Derek. "I didn't notice until we were dealing with Matt at the station but I think it happened sooner."

"Why?" demanded Stiles.

Derek huffed and folded his arms.

"Why?" Stiles glared right back at him. He deserved an answer, damnit.

"Because you save me. You've had no reason to save my life or help me but you do it anyway and you hardly ever ask for anything in return. You've lied to your dad and picked my side over Scott's and stood up to the fucking Argents and I trust you. I trust you and I rely on you. I don't do that with anyone else." Derek took in a deep breath after rushing through all of that. "The Alphas are going after you because I want…I need you."

Stiles lunged forward, ignoring the fact that his arm was still bleeding and lifted his hands up to cup Derek's face. He searched Derek's eyes and found the answer he was looking for. Stiles kissed him, quickly but with clear purpose.

Derek reached an arm around Stiles' waist and kissed him back, tongue moving against Stiles' lips.

John cleared his throat. "Ahem."

Derek and Stiles jumped away from each other and then Stiles shuffled back next to Derek. "Yeah Dad?" he asked in a far too bright tone.

"I suppose I should be glad I didn't have to spend several years watching you two be ridiculous and pine for each other," said John.

"What?" stammered Derek & Stiles together.

"Oh please. Melissa and I put a bet down on you two months ago."

Stiles really wished his dad would quit throwing out these random bombshells. He decided to slightly change the topic. "So Dad when you say you took care of Gerard Argent…?"

"I sent his head in a box to the Hunters Council in Chicago and informed them that from now on, any hunter wishing to cross through Beacon Hills is to go through the Sheriff's office and made further note that we did not look kindly upon those who chose to torture innocent children and disregard the code."

"Marry me," said Peter.

"You're not my type," retorted John.

"Male? Or Werewolf?"

"Undead."

"Fair point."

Stiles slapped his palm over his face. "Oh. My. God. Dad, who the fuck are you?"

John turned back to Stiles. "We can talk about that later. Right now, we need to get Scott, Isaac, and Jackson back. I assume Boyd and Erica are still too damaged from their own round of kidnapping to be of much help?"

Stiles nodded. "We've been trying to talk to them, get them confident again but I think losing Isaac set them back again."

"Then we don't lose Isaac. Any idea where they are?"

Derek stilled.

Everyone turned to see the Alpha pack approaching them from the end of the street. They had about twenty seconds before the pack was in hearing distance and no time to get away.

"Follow my lead," muttered John quickly before grabbing Stiles' uninjured arm and pulling him away from Derek. "I don't know what the fuck is going on here but you are not going anywhere with my son. I have half a mind to arrest you," he said loudly.

Stiles recovered faster than Derek. "Dad, he didn't do anything. I swear, I can explain everything, just please calm down."

"Is he the reason you've been lying to me? Are you dating Derek Hale?!"

Stiles forced a glare on his face. "I'm not dating Derek! We're trying to keep you safe. I'm always trying to keep you safe."

Derek jumped in. "Sir, if you just let me explain…"

And then the Alphas were on them. Except this time, Ethan and Aiden held the Sheriff between them.

Deucalion stepped in front. "Interesting. We thought the boy would be enough but it seems he's braver than expected."

"Get away from him," growled Derek.

"Fine," sneered Deucalion. He shoved Stiles back at Derek. "It appears turning his father will do more damage anyway."

"No!" yelled Stiles and he wasn't messing around this time.

Deucalion nodded at the twins, both of whom bit John at the same time. He went limp in their arms. Stiles couldn't see his dad as he rushed at Deucalion, who threw him back at Derek.

What Derek and Peter both saw however, was John give what could only be described as a feral grin as the alphas' teeth sank into his neck.

The twins dropped the man and stepped back, laughing.

Kali sneered at Stiles and the two standing werewolves. "This happened because Derek wouldn't leave you alone," she said to Stiles.

Stiles was on his knees by his dad, willing him to wake up. "Get the fuck out of here!" he screamed at the Alphas.

As per the usual, they laughed at him and Kali loomed over him.

"You should have made the choice for him. He's a werewolf now because of you. He'll hate you for this."

Stiles was fairly certain that wasn't true, now that he knew his dad was so aware of the supernatural but he was still terrified that his dad wouldn't make it through the transition. And he didn't know how his dad felt about becoming a werewolf. It's not like he'd gone out and asked for the bite yet.

Stiles leaned back for a second, trying to scrub the tears out of his eyes.

Deucalion turned to Derek. "You should know better than to think you could defeat us."

Before Derek could respond, a howl rang out, louder than anything Stiles had ever heard any of the werewolves make. A split second later, Kali fell to the ground, alive but barely.

John was on his feet, snarling and shoving Stiles back to Derek.

Both groups pulled back and stared at the newly turned werewolf, eyes glowing red with a silver ring around the edges.

"Dad," began Stiles.

Ethan looked down at Kali. "How the fuck is he an Alpha if she's still alive?"

"How did he do that?" asked Aidan.

John turned to Deucalion. "You want to talk about things people should know. You should know better than to take on a pack without doing your research first. ALL of your research."

Deucalion growled. "John Stilinski. Sheriff. Widower. Father of a teenage son who is a human member of a werewolf pack."

"I took my wife's last name when I got married," said John.

Stiles tried reaching out to his dad but Derek pulled him back. "Wait," he murmured against Stiles' temple.

The Alpha leader stared blankly at John. "Stilinski isn't your last name?"

John grinned at him. "Nope." His eyes glinted. "My surname was Biryukov."

Peter gasped.

Ethan crossed himself.

Deucalion paled.

Stiles and Derek gaped at the others. Aiden was scrambling to drag Kali further away.

"Derek…" started Stiles.

"I have no idea," said Derek in response.

John took up a step closer to Deucalion, his claws resting against the alpha's throat. "I see you've heard of me. That's wonderful news. Now let me make myself perfectly clear. This is my town. Anyone who wishes to enter will go through myself and Derek Hale. This is not an either/or situation. He is the chosen Alpha. You will show Alpha Hale and his pack the respect they deserve as you take your pathetic asses out of Beacon Hills, immediately."

Aiden flung Kali over his back since she still couldn't stand and ran. Ethan was right behind them.

Deucalion didn't get to leave yet as John still had his hands around his neck.

"Where are the betas?"

The werewolf stammered out an address.

"I suggest you find a nice spot of unclaimed territory or a neutral city to settle in, Alpha Deucalion," said John, his voice cold. "I would hate to be forced to call my brother and request he visit the States. I'm sure you're aware of how much he hates our warmer California weather."

Deucalion nodded slightly, eyes flashing downward in fear.

John released the Alpha. "Go."

The werewolf disappeared from sight within seconds.

Stiles turned to fully face his dad, keeping himself against Derek. He had the sense that Derek needed him close right now. "Um, so I'm going to need a serious explanation on what the fuck just happened here. Your eyes are alpha red. And there's silver going on and that pack was fearless and they bit you and within five minutes you had them running out of town. Also, explain to me how you have control already."

John's eyes slowly turned brown again, though the silver still glinted around the edge, and his claws disappeared.

"Your eyes are still silver," said Stiles.

"That doesn't go away," explained his father. "I promise I will explain everything, particularly since this wasn't how I would have preferred to handled the situation. Not to mention my brother will no doubt be here within a few days once he senses I've turned. The entire pack needs to hear this. Peter can drive to the warehouse with me in Stiles' jeep to get the betas. Derek, you and Stiles go get everyone else."

Stiles wanted more than anything to yell at his dad to stop and explain now. But he was both a little bit terrified and a little more interested in having some alone time with Derek, even if it was for just a few minutes. So he followed Derek to the car, staying silent until he saw his dad drive away.

When he was fairly certain that his dad was far enough out of range, he turned to Derek. "Can I freak the fuck out now?"

"If I can join you," said Derek, still looking bewildered.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Derek shook his head. "Not really. I mean, I remember hearing stories when I was little about older packs, the European ones. They're very different from us."

"How so?" asked Stiles. He stood opposite Derek, who was leaning against the Camaro, trying to remember what his parents had taught him.

"The packs over there are very traditional. The need for hunters is much more limited because packs keep tight control. But the packs are also fewer and bigger. You could imagine old serfdoms as the best way to understand territory," explained Derek. "Over here, everyone wants to be independent, to be their own Alpha. But most European wolves, and any others not in America, tend to look for a strong Alpha. Security is worth a lot more than freedom. And if a werewolf steps out of line, packs are quick to send out disciplinary units. It's very structured."

"I feel like our pack would be a nightmare to all of them," said Stiles.

"Sort of. I think we'd be forgiven a lot, being new and unique. But there would be mid-ranking betas sent in to introduce harsher training methods and instruct our betas in the ways of the wolf. Plus there's usually a human trainer for human pack members."

"Huh." Stiles was quiet for a minute.

Derek reached out and pulled him closer. "The problem is that I only know general rules. I wasn't old enough to learn about individual packs or specific details. So I'm still pretty much useless."

Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek's waist. "You're useful to me."

Derek smiled. "Good." He kissed Stiles, this time a little more tentative and quiet.

Stiles kissed back, moving his hips against Derek's and bringing one leg up between Derek's.

"Stiles, we can't."

"Sure we can."

"Everyone will know when we walk in your house."

"I can live with that," insisted Stiles as he started making little bite marks along Derek's neck and watching them disappear as fast as he could make them.

"Your dad will know. Besides, do you really want to start off by rutting against each other next to my car on a neighborhood street?"

Stiles noted that Derek wasn't exactly stopping his ministrations, in fact the werewolf seemed to be fighting not to completely give into the sensation of Stiles' teeth and tongue. Still.

"I suppose you have a point," he admitted.

Derek bent his head and kissed Stiles again. "But soon."

"Soon," agreed Stiles.

Derek drove out to the Hale house to pick up Boyd & Erica, while Stiles called Lydia and Allison and instructed them to meet at the Stilinski house. Stiles took a guess and told Allison to bring her dad. He had the feeling that Chris wouldn't be able to hurt anyone with his dad around, even though their treaty had been holding well anyway.

The entire way there and back, Derek kept one hand laced with Stiles', both needing him and knowing that Stiles needed the connection as well.

When they reached the house, the mood was tense to say the very least.

"What's going on, Derek?" demanded Chris. The hunter leaned against the wall but anyone paying attention could see he was on edge, ready to attack at a moment's notice. The Alphas hadn't made his life any easier.

"One part I can explain," began Derek. "The other is up to John. First, as you can see, we have everyone back. Also, the Alpha pack is gone. For good. They won't ever be coming back to Beacon Hills."

"How can you be sure?" asked Jackson, his voice sore and tired.

"That would be where I come in," interrupted John. He waited for Derek to indicate that he should take the lead, and Derek sat down next to Stiles in the armchair, pulling the teen close.

Several pack members raised their eyebrows or made aborted gestures of surprise but no one commented.

"For most of you, this information is unknown. I need to stress to you the importance of keeping it secret," said John. "The consequences are greater than I can possibly convey in a few hours, or even a few weeks."

The pack nodded.

"While I am now an American citizen, I was born in Russia. I fell in love with a young girl and because we both wanted to live on our own terms, without family expectations, we moved here as soon as we were eighteen years old." John looked wistful at the memories of his wife and Stiles moved a little closer to Derek. His dad rarely spoke about Aria. "Due to the risk of my family name, I took Aria's name once we were married. But I was born a Biryukov."

John paused, knowing that Chris was the only one who might understand the significance of that name, but that was it.

Chris clearly did know the name, because he started sinking to the floor in shock, only stopped by Allison grabbing his arm. "Fuck, John," he said quietly. "How bad is this?"

"I don't believe it will be that bad. I left my family on good terms and my brother will no doubt be thrilled that I've now joined the fold, even if it was at the hands of a rogue Alpha pack."

"Can we backtrack for the new kids please?" asked Lydia.

"Yes. My apologies. Biryukov is Russian for wolf. And my family has that name because we are a line of werewolves."

There were several gasps and shocked expressions. Even Stiles, who had started to guess that much, was still surprised.

"So you were born human?" asked Scott.

John shook his head. "No. The Biryukovs, like other old werewolf packs are descended from the first werewolves. The rules for us work a bit differently. Bitten wolves are accepted into the pack as are human and magical members. But those of the family line are born human for all intents and purposes."

"That sounds like there's more to this human nature," noted Lydia, picking up on subtleties as always.

"Indeed. The werewolf gene is carried in the Biryukov line, but every member is given the choice at 13 years old to take the bite or not." John backtracked. "The first choice is offered then. A Biryukov can decide to take the bite at anytime. But there are a few distinct differences. First, all Biryukovs are automatically Alphas. Without a need to kill for the title and one of us could take down a good six Alphas of Derek's strength with very little effort. Second, original werewolf packs have specific eye color traits."

He flashed his eyes to show the silver rings. "That helps other wolves identify us. Finally, once bitten, a Biryukov wolf will automatically have as much control as a born wolf and we behave in the manner of a born wolf. There's no trying to balance each side of our nature."

"Does the bite ever fail?" asked Jackson, clearly thinking of his time as the kanima.

"No," stated John. "A Biryukov will always complete the transformation and anyone bitten by one will as well. The time frame is different though. We transform almost immediately. As Derek, Peter, and Stiles observed earlier."

Stiles' eyes widened. "You mean if I wanted the bite, I'm guaranteed to live through it?"

"Yes," said John.

"You want it?" asked Derek and Scott at once.

"Oh," noted Peter, realizing why Stiles was always lying yet telling the truth when asked about becoming a werewolf himself.

"And I'd be an Alpha?"

John nodded again.

"Would that affect my relationship with Derek?" Stiles stumbled a tiny bit over the words, more because they were coming out before he realized maybe Derek didn't want to make this public to the pack yet.

But Derek just squeezed his hand reassuringly and turned anxious eyes to John.

"No," said John. "Contrary to belief perpetuated by hunters and ignorant packs, Alphas can coexist quite easily. The Alpha pack was one example of that, but even in peaceful ways it's an easy solution. A combination of deference and mutual respect keeps tempers at bay. The connection between the two of you would also help, as even when your human selves fight, the wolf would be desperate to heal the rift."

"I thought you didn't want the bite," said Scott quietly from the couch. "It's a curse, Stiles."

Stiles shook his head. "I've always thought it was a gift, Scott. I just didn't want to risk dying before I could enjoy it. I couldn't leave the people I loved to be selfish. But now…"

John stood in front of his son. "And now?"

"I want to be a werewolf," answered Stiles.

"Who?" asked John simply.

Stiles knew what he was asking. "Derek. I'm your son by blood, Dad, and that's never changing. I need to be Derek's through the wolf."

John nodded his head in agreement and stepped away.

Derek moved in front of Stiles, his eyes searching for an answer, and Stiles silently responding.

Stiles stepped forward slightly, tilted his head to the side, and waited. Derek kissed the bared skin. Then he bit down.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why is he just lying there?"

"He's clearly awake."

"And he can move since he kicked me five seconds ago."

Stiles heard the voices of Scott, Erica, and Lydia around him. But it was more than that. He could feel them. Their scents sang in his blood, binding him to the pack. It was heady. No wonder new wolves lost it during a full moon.

Through it all was a scent more powerful than the others. Licorice—no, anise—cedar, and the anticipation of a coming storm. Stiles wanted it more than anything. He opened his eyes. The closest face was his father, but he could tell it was Derek's hand on his shoulder. The scent he was so drawn to, almost addicted to in such a short time, also belonged to his Alpha.

Oh. Stiles liked those words. "My alpha," he croaked out, struggling to sit up.

Derek's eyes widened. "What?"

"My alpha," repeated Stiles. "My mate. Fuck, Derek, how do you live with that smell? Is this what it's like for you all the time?"

"Stiles," said John, leaning down beside Derek. "You need to focus on something other than Derek right now. You'll be able to talk to him about that part later."

Stiles tugged on his dad's arm. "Promise? I know I'm still seventeen, but…"

"I promise. There are things we need to discuss though. How are you feeling?"

"Good. Great. It's a lot to take in at once." Stiles stood, resting slightly against Derek as he followed the others back into the living room. Derek sat on the couch and Stiles didn't even think about it when he sat next to him and stretched his legs over Derek's lap. "Okay so, as fun as this has been, my taking the bite really isn't the priority. What happens now?"

Several eyes flickered to John Stilinski. John in turn looked to Derek. "Alpha Hale, I defer to you."

Derek did his best not to let his gratitude overwhelm him. Those six simple words spoke volumes to the others in the room and helped insure he maintained his status as Alpha. Not that he thought John would fight him for it, but if the pack was going to heal from this, they needed a clear leader. "I think we need to know what you do, sir. You mentioned your brother. If we're going to be visited by another Alpha, I'd like to know, and then begin training on how to behave during the visit."

John nodded. "Good point. I expect my brother to be here within two weeks. He'll be able to sense my transition and he'll want to visit to check that everything's okay. There's no danger of an attack from him, no matter what Alpha a Biryukov follows, we're still family, and I left on solid ground." He hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to word the next part. "My brother Zolner, who is the Biryukov Alpha, will arrive with a small contingency of betas, as per his usual style. He won't harm any of the pack—or anyone under the pack's protection—but he's not going to be happy."

"What do you mean he won't be happy?" asked Allison.

"He means we're a shit pack," answered Derek, knowing it was what most of them were thinking. The only one brave enough to say it though would have been Stiles and he wasn't that cruel.

"He can't decide that!" Scott was indignant and didn't that just take the cake. "I'm not going…"

Jackson interrupted, cutting off whatever torrent Scott was about to unleash. It was no doubt something about how he wasn't even in this pack and neither were several of the others and it had to be all Derek's fault. The new but not unexpected development between Derek and Stilinski was likely to get an earful if Scott was allowed to continue as well. "Shut up, McCall. Derek's right. And that's what the Sheriff is implying, he's just nice enough to say so. But we are a shitty pack. If we worked right, the Alphas wouldn't have been able to kidnap all three of us. They probably would have only gotten to a human member, though that shouldn't happen either."

Several heads turned to gape at Jackson.

He continued before they had a chance to speak. This was important to him. He wanted the pack, wanted a place to belong, and he knew they had the potential if they could get past all the petty shit. "I'm just as much to blame as anyone else and probably more than some of you. And we aren't going to fix this overnight. But we have to try."

Lydia squeezed Jackson's hand as he finished. He appreciated it, but the best was the way Derek positively beamed at him with pride.

"Thank you, Jackson," said Derek.

Scott tried again. "I can see that this isn't a good pack, but I don't see why I have to work on being part of Derek's. I'll keep my own pack with Stiles and Allison and Isaac."

Stiles resisted the urge to facepalm. "Dude, Derek's my mate and my alpha. I'm not leaving him."

"Derek's my alpha too," added Isaac. "You're my best friend but he's my pack."

Scott turned to Allison expectantly.

She gave him a rueful look in return. "Scott, I…"

"I do not approve of Allison being a member of a werewolf pack," stated Chris Argent. "Though I should think that obvious. However, if she's going to insist on being a part of this, I want her with an experienced werewolf, not a teenager."

John put a hand on Scott's shoulder. "Scott, I understand you're frustrated and that you feel like you've been forced into a world you hate. But can I tell you a couple things before you do something you might regret?"

Scott looked like he wanted to argue but he nodded at John.

"You're a werewolf now and no matter what you may wish otherwise, there's no changing that."

"There would have been if Derek hadn't killed Peter first," muttered Scott.

"That myth is just that," snapped the Sheriff. His eyes flashed the tiniest bit. "It was originally used to convince unhappy betas to attack their alphas, leaving the alpha weak enough to be killed. Not the situation in this case, but regardless, if you had killed Peter, you would have become the alpha and the sheer power would most likely have killed you."

"Can I join another pack then?" Scott didn't sound quite as angry, more trying to search out any last alternatives.

John shook his head. "There's not a pack that would take you. At least not a pack that wouldn't simply put you under their alpha's control and use you as a soldier. The same goes for the rest of you. I understand this situation hasn't started in the best way but packs don't take on teenage betas. Especially bitten ones who don't understand their wolf. Jackson is correct. You'll need to learn to work together."

Scott was quiet for a moment. Even the humans could sense that he was struggling with his personal desires and his recognition of the truth in John's words.

"One last thing," said John. "Melissa & I talked about werewolves after she found out. She told me that once she got over the shock, it was the first time in years that she felt safe. She said she didn't need to worry anymore about your father coming around and hurting you or her now."

"What?" Scott's eyes flooded with tears at those words.

Allison wrapped her arms around Scott and hugged him.

"Okay," said Scott. "I'll be in the pack, I'll be a team player." His voice shook a little but his eyes were clear when he looked to Derek.

"Would you help me come up with a training program?" asked Derek, doing his best to reach out to Scott. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but if Scott could take this rather humiliating step, Derek could be generous as well. The position of second wasn't an option. As it was, Derek was unsure if Stiles or John would be the better choice there, or if he needed to allow Peter the honor. He wanted to talk to John's brother about that, rather than involve the others. But Scott was good at controlling the wolf and bringing it to the forefront when necessary without becoming dangerously feral. Derek was wise enough to see that his betas needed help with that and that he wasn't equipped to teach them.

"Really?" Scott's eyebrows raised in confusion.

"You have better control than the others," said Derek in answer. "I'd appreciate it."

Allison and Stiles both nodded at Scott and the teen accepted the offer.

"Excellent," said John. "That's a good start. Training together and bonding are important. For now, everyone get some sleep. Peter and I will go over protocols for visiting packs with you tomorrow to insure there are minimal faux-pas."

Erica, Boyd, Isaac, and Jackson all looked to Derek to dismiss them, and he took pride in the way they were already following instincts. He dismissed them as well, then lingered a bit as the others made their way out the door.

Stiles shifted awkwardly and avoided looking at his father.

Not that it mattered. "I'm going for a run," said John. "A very long run that will keep me out until the early morning. While I'm gone, I suggest you two discuss a few things." He gave his son a stern look. "Some parts of the discussion are not things I ever want to know. Or hear."

"That's good," joked Stiles.

John grimaced slightly and made his way to his room, leaving the pair alone in the kitchen.

Derek looked at Stiles, unsure what to start with.

"My room?" suggested Stiles.

Good enough, thought Derek.


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles stood awkwardly against the window while Derek sat on the edge of the bed. "So mates," started Stiles, not all that sure where he intended to take this conversation.

Derek gave him a sheepish look. "Yeah. But I mean it doesn't have to be serious, you're still a teenager and…"

Stiles held up a hand to stop the word vomit. "I researched mates once. So I would like it if you'd just clarify one thing for me."

"Okay."

"Can two people truly be mates if one doesn't feel the same way? Because everything I found said that this bond, this connection that I feel towards you that's stronger than anything else, it all indicated that I have to want it just as much as you do. So is there any way for you to involuntarily force or influence me into being your mate?"

Derek shook his head. "No."

"Good. Then can we not do the whole I'm too young or you're not good for me or what about my dad speeches?" Stiles deliberately made his voice light-hearted but he was serious. They had plenty to worry about. This didn't need to go on the list.

"You'll tell me if you change your mind?" Derek looked like he'd be devastated at the very idea.

But Stiles had his suspicions about why Derek always brought up everyone's ages and the way he sometimes was louder than he meant to be about how he shouldn't have turned teenagers and should have known better. Stiles knew that Derek's fears were founded, just not in him. "I'll tell you. But I won't."

"Then I won't lecture," agreed Derek. "Besides, it kinda seems like your dad isn't a problem which cuts out half my arguments."

Stiles flashed something of a grimace and a grin at him. "Could we not bring up the fact that my dad basically implied he was going to get out of the house so his son could have sex?"

"I'd be okay with that."

"Then can we also get to the actual sex?" Stiles pushed away from the window and leaned towards Derek, putting his hands on Derek's shoulders.

"Should we talk about your family? It kind of changes things." Derek didn't look all that interested in discussing it, just obligated.

Stiles sighed. "We have weeks ahead of us to talk about family I've never heard of or how my dad's been staying out of all this stuff and the fact that the Alphas are gone but we've probably got more enemies down the line since Beacon Hills is like the new Hellmouth now."

"I thought the Hellmouth was in Cleveland."

Stiles' jaw dropped a little. "Dude, you cannot just drop a bombshell on me like that. We are so introducing the pack to Buffy at some point." He focused back on what mattered. "I'm just saying we could take advantage of tonight, since it could be a while before it's the two of us again."

Derek answered by tugging Stiles down enough so that he could kiss him, letting his tongue just barely swipe at Stiles' lips. "Okay."

Stiles kissed back, pushing a little harder and trying to make it last longer. "Really? I thought you'd argue more."

"As much as I love talking," snarked Derek, "I actually figured I'd use my mouth for other things."

Stiles would never admit to letting out a squeal—even if he totally did—before he half fell into Derek and half pushed him back onto the bed.

Derek wiggled his way up to the pillows and Stiles crawled on top of him. Stiles' hands pushed Derek's shirt out of the way, his lips following the hemline and pressing kisses across Derek's torso as he went. When Stiles reached Derek's lips again, he paused only long enough to tug his own shirt off before moving back for a much longer kiss.

Stiles sucked at Derek's bottom lip for a second before his hands reached down to unfasten his jeans. He was way past hard at this point and more than anything he wanted to feel Derek without stupid denim in the way.

Derek was evidently agreeable with this plan judging by how fast he tugged off his own pants.

"Hi," breathed Stiles, when he was settled enough to look again.

"Hi." Derek seemed equally overwhelmed. "Do you have…um…?"

"Oh! Yeah. It's in my nightstand, hang on." Stiles leaned across Derek to grab the mostly full bottle of lube out of his drawer. He stopped mid-reach into the nightstand drawer. "Uh…"

"What?"

"Did you want to?" He shook the lube at Derek. "Or I could?"

Derek grinned. "What do you want?"

"Both." Stiles looked a little surprised at how quickly he knew the answer to that one. He'd kinda thought he'd either want to fuck or be fucked. But it was like being told he could have pie or ice cream when everyone knows that both are equally delicious. "Yeah, both."

Derek seemed to like that idea, judging by the way his eyes darkened. "We do have several hours."

"Yeah?"

Derek pushed himself up to press a kiss to the corner of Stiles' mouth. "Yeah. But um…"

Stiles waited.

"I could fuck you first. Only if you want. It's just you'll probably come pretty fast the first round and I think you should be able to enjoy it."

Stiles flipped them over so fast, he probably gave himself whiplash.

"I take it you like that idea." Derek huffed out a laugh against Stiles' neck, where he'd instantly started kissing him again.

"Very much so," answered Stiles, using his hands to push away Derek's boxers.

Derek didn't hesitate to make good use of Stiles' eagerness.

By the time John got back that morning—and he made as much racket as possible to give his son plenty of warning—Stiles was no closer to deciding if he liked any one position better than the other. But he could always do more research later.

The next two weeks were busier than Stiles could have possibly imagined. He thought juggling school and werewolves and running from enemies was exhausting.

But Derek clearly wanted to make at least a decent impression. John and Peter wanted more than that and spent hours upon hours drilling every pack member in the proper protocols.

There were signs of submission to a higher ranking Alpha. There were other signs for a visiting Alpha. One nodded one way to indicate respect but another way to show loyalty to your own Alpha.

Stiles had assumed a second would have to be appointed and he wondered if there would be an issue as to whether that position would be filled by Boyd or Scott. Derek struggled with the decision. His struggle was quickly halted however when Peter, John, and Chris agreed that they would style the pack in the European hierarchy.

Chris first suggested it, noting that with three Alphas, a resurrected former Alpha in Peter, a temporary one in Scott, and their alliance with hunters—rather unheard of in American or Canadian packs—the older traditions might fit better anyway.

Peter had quickly agreed, as did John and that was enough for Derek.

The concept turned out to be a godsend for the pack.

Derek remained the head alpha, a title he wanted to keep to carry on the Hale pack. Stiles and John refused to even consider that they could fight for it. Peter bowed out of any claims as well, stating that he found he preferred the freedom of being a beta.

Scott moved into a role similar to that of a general. He led the physical training, which actually helped training go smoother than it had in months. Scott's experience as a bitten wolf left him better able to understand the struggles Derek's betas faced. The position was similar to a second, but it allowed for Scott's opinions to carry more weight within the pack and didn't require his presence at all encounters.

A Second was traditionally a symbol of pack strength and had the ability to make almost as many decisions as an Alpha. This in turn was one of the reasons Seconds often overthrew their Alphas. Instead, Boyd was appointed to the role of Enforcer. He would be one of the first pack members to meet with visitors, but his imposing presence and unquestionable fighting skill meant he and Scott could work together for the good of the pack.

John stepped up as pack advisor. His experience growing up among a pack gave him keen insight. Peter rounded out the secondary positions as the pack negotiator. There was still some mistrust towards Peter but it couldn't be denied that the man knew his protocols, vital for the position.

Stiles and Derek were the alpha pair of the pack. It wasn't as nurturing a role as in American packs but it actually gave Stiles more credence than a simple Alpha's mate would get.

Out of everything, that turned out to be the best part of using the European hierarchy. Stiles found his wolf side to be almost second nature. His control wasn't perfect but it was nothing to worry about. The desire to take charge was another story. And unlike his father, who had been taught how to be submissive as an Alpha, Stiles was used to challenging Derek.

He had to learn to pick his battles carefully. More importantly, he had to learn to keep his battles private and not undermine Derek. It wasn't easy.

The training was all the more frustrating for everyone due to the advanced time table. Stiles was at least happy to see that the rest of the pack members put in just as much effort as he did. The others had their issues to work on of course. But for once the common goal was something everyone agreed with. And so they worked together better than they had in months.

Of course that couldn't be the only demands on Stiles' time. Nope, now that Scott and Derek weren't fighting, Scott was determined to have bro time.

Stiles finally set aside an evening about three days before Zolner and his emissaries were to arrive for an epic round of Halo, pizza, and far too much candy with his best friend.

~  
"Stiles!" yelled Scott from the front door. "I brought Reeses and that black cherry soda you like."

Stiles bounded down the steps in his wolf form. A full wolf at that, none of the weird eyebrow-less transformations his friends were stuck with. He greeted Scott with a slobbery lick.

"Dude, really," said Scott.

Stiles just tilted his head at him. He hadn't shown Scott his wolf form yet, only practicing with his dad or Derek. Surely Scott would think this was cool.

Scott followed him into the kitchen, set his things down and crouched to meet Stiles at eye level. "If I tell you I'm impressed will you shift back? Or does being a Biryukov descendant mean you can play Halo without opposable thumbs?"

Stiles managed to snort derisively at him—a trick he'd definitely learned from Derek—and then shifted back quickly.

"Dude." Scott turned away from him. "Go put clothes on. No one wants a naked you in the kitchen."

"Derek likes a…"

"No!" Scott quickly cut him off. "If you love me at all you will not finish that sentence."

Stiles burst into laughter and switched back to the wolf to run upstairs. Because running around naked actually was kind of awkward. But worth it for the look on Scott's face. He came back downstairs fully clothed and immediately grabbed one of the sodas on the counter.

"Sup?! How cool is my wolf?"

Scott grinned. "That's freaking awesome. I'm definitely jealous."

Stiles hopped on the counter and swung his legs as he spoke. He found he was able to focus more, not needing Adderall, but in return he was often physically restless. "It's still kind of weird. Like when my dad does training drills with me, I keep wanting to fight with runes or I'll suggest a semi-magical option like I'm used to instead of shifting."

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

"I hope so. At least I can shift without any trouble."

"Does it hurt?" asked Scott, curious as to how Stiles' turn was going.

Stiles had told the pack a little but for the most part there hadn't been time to sit and talk. "Nope. Dad said the harder thing for me would be to think like a human when I need to. My mind automatically thinks in terms of the wolf."

"But you're a bitten wolf."

"Yeah but I guess it's because my heritage is werewolves. And you and Derek have both mentioned that I react like pack a lot even when I was human and wasn't pack."

Scott thought about that one. "That makes sense." His face contorted a little. "How are you and Derek?"

Stiles nearly spit out his soda. "You're actually asking me about Derek. Seriously?"

"Okay, I'm not saying I want sex details, though I'd understand if you felt a need to torture me with them since I kind of go on about Allison a lot."

"I could write a sonnet to her moles at this point based off the details you've provided," interrupted Stiles.

Scott glared at him.

Stiles shrugged. It was a fair point.

"Anyway, yes, I would like to know what's going on with my best friend and his boyfriend. Especially if you two are all super serious mates or whatever."

Stiles figured the moment called for a hug. "You're kind of the best, ya know."

"I know."

"Haha. It's good. I mean it's kind of a rush at the moment cuz we only just got together but it feels like we've been leading up to this for a while. I don't know how exactly to describe it but…"

"But it just feels like suddenly everything fits into place?" offered Scott.

Stiles nodded. "Yeah. Everything clicks with Derek. Wow that sounds cheesy."

"Well I'm happy for you," said Scott. "And speaking of cheesy, can we call this good enough on the bonding and order pizza now?"

"Yes, please! Prepare to get your ass kicked in Halo," said Stiles, grabbing a second soda and a couple Reeses packs off the counter.

Scott jumped on his back on the way into the living room. "I don't care if you are some legendary Alpha, I can still beat you without breaking a sweat."

Stiles laughed. "I'd like to see you try."

* * *

**There will be 3 more chapters after this one. I'm in a bit of a Scott/Stiles bromance mood so I thought I'd end on a happy note.**


	4. Chapter 4

Zolner arrived sixteen days after Stiles and his father had turned. The pack was at Derek's apartment, going over protocol yet again, when a knock came at the door. The werewolves in the pack had heard the visitor approaching and sat ready.

John opened the door. "Yes?"

A young man, about Derek's age, and very much human from what Stiles could tell stood in front of them. "I'm looking for Alpha Stilinski," he said. "We were informed he and his pack were here."

"I'm John Stilinski," answered Sheriff Stilinski. "And while I am an Alpha and I am with my pack, I am not Alpha here."

"Then with all due respect sir, I need to speak with the Alpha of Beacon Hills before my business can continue any further." The man spoke firmly and Stiles recognized the words as being what Peter had taught them about requesting territorial permission before discussing business.

John glanced over at Derek, who nodded his permission.

"Come in," said John. "My alpha, Derek Hale, of the Hale pack."

Derek inclined his head towards the visitor, indicating he had permission to speak.

Stiles could tell that the protocol still felt odd to Derek, particularly as he was usually out of sight until after these things were done when his family was alive. But these things were important. And while John had assured them that they would hold an agreement with the Biryukovs by virtue of Stiles' and John's inclusion in the Hale pack, a good impression meant Derek could gain the Hale pack of the future one of the single greatest alliances in werewolf history.

So Stiles obeyed the rules he'd been made aware of and placed a hand on Derek's knee as the newcomer spoke.

"My name is Dimitry and I am the human ambassador for the Biryukov pack, currently under the leadership of Alpha Zolner. I request permission for my Alpha and a small contingency of our pack to enter Beacon Hills territory in order to visit family and pursue a possible alliance." Dimitry bowed his head low and took a step back after speaking, relinquishing the floor.

Derek stood, one hand reaching to pull Stiles up beside him. Scott stood as well on the other side of the room, establishing his role and position. "We would honored to receive the Biryukov Alpha and any pack members he has chosen to travel with. Please inform Alpha Zolner that he is welcome at any time."

"Thank you, Alpha Hale," said Dimitry.

"One more thing," said Derek. "Due to the familial connections between our two packs, I would like to extend an offer to cease formalities during the visit."

"Of course. I will share the offer with my Alpha. I'm certain he will be in agreement with your terms." Dimitry bowed low again and at Derek's dismissal, left the room.

Once Boyd had verified that Dimitry was driving away and there were no wolves in hearing distance, the others spoke up.

"Dad, do you think he'll agree to be informal?" asked Stiles, curling back into Derek's side. The scents around him were no longer as overwhelming but he still maintained a love of being tactile.

"Definitely," answered John. "Zol's not big on ceremony except when ceremony is called for. We should be in formal presentation positions once he gets here but I can't see why he wouldn't agree. And if he argues, I'll just remind him that I stuck his head in the mud once and I'll do it again."

Isaac and Stiles started snickering at the image and even Derek cracked a smile.

"He was human," interrupted Erica. "Why would they send a human?"

Jackson hissed at her, prompting Stiles to immediately think that not all the kanima had been clawed out of him.

"What?" snapped Erica.

"You can't interrupt like that. We're supposed to be doing things the right way," said Jackson indignantly.

Erica glared at him.

"He's right," said Stiles gently. "Obviously we're a lot more informal when it's just us but we should still be on our best behavior. Even if Alpha Zolner accepts our request for more familiar interactions, it's good practice for meetings with other packs."

"And to answer your question about humans," added John, "I don't know. There were always humans in the pack but I left home at seventeen. We weren't allowed to associate or even be introduced to born pack humans until we were eighteen."

Allison perked up a bit at that. "Was there a problem with humans and the werewolves? Some sort of forced alliance that made a separation necessary?"

John shook his head. "Not as far as I'm aware. My uncle was Alpha when I left and his general was a human. But like I said, we'll have to ask Zolner the details."

Allison nodded her understanding.

For a few minutes, the conversation turned to lighter topics, sparring techniques and the forthcoming senior year of high school. Stiles was contemplating whether or not he wants apple pie later, much to Isaac's dismay.

Lydia's eyes flashed towards the door at the same time that Boyd and Peter perked up from their individual corners.

"How far?" asked Derek.

"End of the street," answered Boyd.

No one even bothers to question anymore the way Lydia senses people approaching as fast as the werewolves. Peter has always been better attuned to his senses than most werewolves and Stiles has his suspicions that while Lydia may have been immune to the bite, she still picked up certain qualities.

Derek told him a week ago that he believed the same, particularly because Lydia can put her foot down on something with him and he feels compelled to agree. Derek believed it to be traces of Peter's alpha status that somehow passed on to Lydia.

The pack shifted subtly as they waited. Stiles and Derek moved to the center of the couch, with Scott and John flanking them. Peter and Boyd each slid along the wall to lean against the window frames behind the couch, establishing their higher positions. The others sat up just a bit straighter, not tense, but more alert than usual.

It seemed like barely any time had passed to Stiles before the sounds of footsteps were on the stairs and a knock sounded at the door.

Zolner Biryukov was quite possibly the largest, most imposing person that Stiles had ever seen. And considering the impression Victoria Argent used to give, that was saying something. He stood stern as John greeted him first and began making introductions.

They covered the key members of the group—Scott, Boyd, Peter, Stiles, Derek, and then the betas—before John paused to let Zolner introduce his pack representatives.

Dimitry they knew, and in addition there were three other werewolves: Vera, Elena, and Yuri, as well as another human who stayed at Zolner's side.

Zolner motioned for the man at his right to step forward. "This is my general, Alexei Lovtsevich."

"Please, call me Alexei," said the man with a smile.

"Lovtsevich?" questioned Peter. As negotiator, he was expected to bring up questions and allowed to voice them without deferring to Derek first. "My Russian is a bit rusty, but that is a hunter's name is it not?"

"Indeed," beamed Zolner. "The Lotsevich's are of the great hunting houses. There are none who rival them in all of Russia."

Peter bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment.

John returned to the introductions. "Derek's first beta, Jackson Whittemore."

Jackson stood and reached his hand to Alexei first, as John and Peter had taught him and then waited until Zolner extended his own hand before shaking the Alpha's hand.

"It is an honor to meet you," said Zolner. "Meeting an alpha's first beta is not a privilege I am often given."

Stiles watched Jackson try to cover his surprise, but it wasn't quick enough.

"You were not aware of the honor," surmised Zolner, though he sounded puzzled and not a little bit upset. "Alpha Hale, I would speak to you of this later."

Derek nodded. "We've had some difficulties to overcome, Alpha Zolner. Your counsel would be appreciated."

Zolner nodded and Jackson sat back down, looking nervously at Derek, who gave him a small smile of reassurance.

"Next," continued John, coming to the last of the introductions. "Allison Argent and her father, Chris Argent."

"Argent!" Alexei's excitement was palpable. "As in the French hunters?"

Allison nodded. "We don't have much contact with our French family members, but yes."

"This is indeed a rare day," said Zolner, greeting both Argents with a massive hug. "To see an American pack following the old hierarchal traditions and wise enough to integrate hunters in the pack. I am truly impressed."

"An alliance seemed to be the best choice," offered Chris, looking decidedly uncomfortable after the hugs from not only Zolner and Alexei, but the three other members of Zolner's pack as well.

Zolner looked disturbed. "An alliance? Then you are not members of the pack?"

"We are hunters," scowled Chris.

Allison hesitated, since her connection to Scott made her less interested in keeping it to a mere treaty.

"Yes, exactly," said Alexei, looking just as confused.

Stiles stepped in. "I think there's some confusion here. Uncle Zolner, here in the US, hunters go after werewolves."

"Well of course," agreed Alexei. "If a wolf has disobeyed the code of the pack and sought to harm or kill an innocent, he must be brought to swift justice."

Chris nodded along until Alexei's next words.

"The same rules of course applying to hunters or human pack members as well."

"Excuse me?" asked Chris.

"Hunters aren't pack here," explained Stiles, moving past the horrified looks on the Biryukov pack's faces. "They hunt down werewolves and many don't bother waiting for a werewolf to kill before attacking."

"But surely an Argent wouldn't debase themselves to such low standards," protested Zolner.

John leaned over and whispered quickly in Zolner and Alexei's ears. The comments, about Kate and the Hale pack, could be heard by the other wolves but the semblance of privacy was observed by everyone.

Alexei's eyes glittered dangerously at Chris and Allison when John had finished explaining. "We will speak later," he commanded, leaving no room in his tone for argument. "It is clearly necessary to reeducate on what it means to be an Argent, and more importantly a hunter."

Chris started to say something anyway but Allison delivered a sharp elbow to her dad's ribs and stepped up as leader. "I would appreciate your insight, Alexei. It is indeed time we changed our perspective."

"Then it is settled," said Zolner. "And now that introductions and formalities are done, I accept Alpha Hale's offer of familiarity."

Derek and Zolner shook in agreement. As soon as their hands broke apart, Zolner flopped down on the couch between Stiles and John. Or to be more precise, he shoved John out of his way. "So nephew, how is that you managed to attract an alpha pack, get the bite, and find an alpha mate—a Hale no less—in so little time? You may as well be your father with all this breaking away from protocol. Not that I blame you," he added with a grin. "Your alpha's a looker."

Stiles blushed deep red and gaped at his uncle. None of the imposing Alpha remained. Instead the man was all smiles and laughter.

"I'd like to hear you say that in front of your wife Natalya," teased John.

Zolner let out a booming laugh. "Dimitry! Would Natalya have a problem?"

Dimitry shook his head and gave Zolner a very lascivious wink. "She wouldn't. I might."

Zolner blew a kiss at Dimitry while Alexei stood to the side and rolled his eyes at them.

"You two are together?" asked Stiles.

"Natalya and I were an arranged marriage," explained Zolner. "And while we have grown to love each other very much, up until our wedding night we were both in love with someone else."

"So what happened?" asked Lydia, leaning in for the story. She had adapted better to the change in demeanor than many of the other pack members, who were still staring at the Biryukov pack as if they'd grown second heads.

Zolner grinned. "You are aware that werewolves can recognize the scent of another person on someone?"

Lydia and Stiles nodded at the same time.

"It turned out that Dimitry was the one both of us had been seeing in secret. Once we stopped yelling at each other about it, he stepped into the room and told us to both shut up and see to his needs." Zolner looked over at Dimitry, who seemed exceedingly pleased with himself. "The three of us have been together ever since."

"My brother, ladies and gentlemen," said John, rolling his eyes.

"Says the Biryukov heir who ran away to America with a druid as a teenager," returned Zolner.

John punched him in the arm.

Zolner dragged him into a headlock.

Stiles shifted onto Derek's lap and away from the two wrestling alphas. "This is not what I expected," he said to Derek.

Poor Derek looked completely at a loss. Zolner's pack looked resigned. "This is exactly what we expected," said Alexei. "It's like they're still the same rambunctious children they were twenty five years ago."

It wasn't much longer before Zolner announced that he was stealing his brother away so they could catch up and that he'd love to train with the pack tomorrow.

Derek agreed, still a bit overwhelmed, and Peter spoke to Alexei about arranging a time. Stiles decided he was still in the mood for apple pie, causing Jackson and Isaac to take the lead on ushering everyone else out of the loft and off to their individual homes.

* * *

**Notes:**

**While the Biryukov pack members all speak with heavy accents, their English is impeccable. This is not the norm but Zolner felt it best to bring his most fluent pack member along since he wasn't sure if anyone besides John spoke Russian.**

**Natalya would have liked to come, but she and Dimitry take turns accompanying Zolner when he has to travel and staying behind to lead the pack. Since she got to spend last summer in Greece, it was Dimitry's turn.**

**Unlike the Hale pack, where Derek is referred to as Alpha Hale, Russian packs use the Alpha's first name. This is due in large part to the fact that everyone in the line is an alpha, and therefore calling Zolner Alpha Biryukov would be confusing.**

**Stiles discovered that Derek smells most like cinnamon when he's completely sated—ie right after sex. Derek also uses apple scented shampoo (because Laura used it and it's a little way to keep her around) so Stiles has taken to using the phrase "I want apple pie" when he wants shower sex. Chris Argent doesn't understand why Stiles' werewolf side has taken to craving pie so much. Scott just thinks Stiles likes to have pie after sex. Which isn't that weird in his opinion. Scott and Allison usually have macaroni & cheese after sex. **


	5. Chapter 5

For the first two weeks of the Biryukov's visit to Beacon Hills, Stiles felt like nothing made sense. He was in control of his werewolf side, even making it through the full moon with no issues. Derek and he spent as much time as they could together, which wasn't nearly as much as they would have liked. Having so many werewolves around made private time difficult.

The thing was, Stiles had been expecting a fairly tense visit. His dad had left after all, not taking the bite and staying with his family and Stiles hadn't known a thing about them until today. Though he still didn't know much about his mom's side of the family either. But he'd anticipated strict adherence to protocol and striving to prove they could be a decent pack and basically a high stress environment for the ensuing weeks.

Except the Biryukov pack was fun.

Which shocked Stiles. And Derek. And well, just about everyone except John, though even he had confessed to Stiles that he thought Zolner would be a little more upset about his turn.

Dimitry had taken Lydia, Danny, and Melissa McCall under his wing. Stiles wasn't completely sure what they were learning, but the humans came back smelling strongly of wolfsbane or of nothing at all and always with looks of pride and determination on their faces.

Nearly everyone in the Hale pack had spent the last year, if not longer depending on when they became aware of the supernatural world, afraid of far too many things.

Stiles got used to seeing a haunted look in Lydia's eyes, or knowing that Melissa flinched when one of them growled, or that Isaac and Danny often held each other at night to keep from shaking apart.

That fear was disappearing. Mrs. McCall seemed to stand a little straighter the next time Peter snapped at Scott.

Lydia had the fierceness she'd lost return again.

And Stiles knew the humans of their pack would be okay when Danny came in one day and threw his arms around Jackson. The two best friends had rarely touched, mostly due to the way Danny reeked of fear when Jackson was around.

Jackson ferociously blinked back tears in the moment, while those in the room politely turned away to offer privacy.

The former kanima was softening as well. Zolner and Elena—who was his first beta—had a long talk with Derek and Jackson about the bond that should be between them. Derek's father had never turned anyone and so Derek hadn't had an example to look to. He didn't realize Jackson was supposed to be treated differently than the others.

Elena explained that because Jackson was bit first, even if Derek wasn't in the best frame of mind at the time, Jackson would have a greater desire to please his alpha. But more importantly, as Jackson sought Derek's approval, Derek's praise was necessary to strengthen their bond and as a result strengthen the pack.

Jackson positively preened under the new attention from Derek, but unlike the past where it made him cocky, Stiles noticed that Jackson usually followed by praising another member of the pack and passing on the compliments.

It was almost heady to experience the difference it made in the pack dynamic.

That first morning over breakfast had been a bit tense, particularly since Allison was still uncertain of her role and Chris was antagonistic at best.

When Chris made a derogatory comment under his breath, Derek and Stiles had tensed, but Zolner only rolled his eyes at the hunter. A moment later, Alexei had Chris lifted out of his chair and was marching him out the door. A single word and Allison had quickly followed.

They were gone three days, and when they returned, Chris apologized to Derek and Peter, while Allison made it clear that she would be making decisions on behalf of the Argent family from here on out.

The other betas worked primarily with Elena, Vera, and Yuri; studying fighting techniques and honing their senses.

The Biryukov pack played games in training, setting up scavenger hunts or intense variations on capture the flag. Stiles found it to be entertaining, but he wasn't sure how things like games could lead to the sort of pack his father had described.

But Stiles also separated from the betas at times. Usually whenever Zolner would go off with John and Derek to discuss treaties and roles of the alpha, Stiles spent time with Dimitry, trying to understand what it meant to be an alpha's mate, what battles to pick, and when to acquiesce.

For a while during the training sessions, Stiles found himself overly frustrated. He could control his wolf, but he never seemed to able to fully immerse himself in his new nature.

The struggle came to a head on a Thursday afternoon when the werewolves were supposed to be fighting the human and hunter members of the pack. It didn't sound like that difficult of an arrangement when Alexei and Vera first mentioned the day's plans.

Until they were told that the werewolves had to fight using human skills and the humans with werewolf strengths. Vera made it clear that the point wasn't to weaken either side but to help them. Sometimes their usual strengths wouldn't be available and in those times, if they could adapt and use other skills, they might get out of troubling situations even easier.

To say Stiles was frustrated was putting it mildly. "This can't be that hard, you guys! We just have to get around them."

The goal for his team was to get back to the house without using werewolf strength. But of course that meant their human opponents had to be barricaded. And werewolves couldn't touch the mountain ash or wolfsbane to create a barrier.

"How?" demanded Jackson. "They're still allowed to use weapons, even if they can't be wolfsbane infused. I'm not getting slashed up again." He growled at the marks in his arms from where Lydia had gotten him with a knife the last time he and Scott had charged the line. He was still healing faster than a human but Yuri had been very specific that they were to hold back the healing as much as possible.

Stiles snarled. "Derek, Erica, and Boyd with me."

"What's the plan?" asked Derek. He was following Zolner's earlier instructions to let his betas try before stepping in.

"Move as fast as humanly possible and don't be afraid to kick Chris in the balls."

Erica snorted.

For the seventh time in a row, it didn't work. The wolves were so focused on not shifting, they couldn't strategize. And for Stiles, he was frustrated because fighting as a wolf wasn't what he was used to anyway.

He finally grabbed a staff off the ground in the pile of weapons they were allowed to choose from and ran—at human speed—forward, intending to push his way to victory.

Allison, Chris, Danny, and Lydia moved out of the way quickly. But it took Stiles a moment to realize that they weren't touching the staff. They were carefully standing away from it. Which meant that as per the rules, they couldn't touch it.

That was when he noticed that none of his teammates were behind him, standing even farther away from the staff.

Even his father, Zolner, and the other Biryukov betas stood out of range of the staff in Stiles' hand.

"What's going on?" asked Stiles, more than a little nervous.

"That staff is mountain ash," answered Allison.

Stiles was confused. "So?"

"So you aren't human," said Dimitry gently. "You shouldn't be able to wield mountain ash."

Stiles looked down at the staff in his hands. "Then how?"

Zolner carried on a brief conversation with John without using any words. John moved as close to Stiles as he could get. "I'm guessing your mother's bloodline has something to do with it."

"What?" Stiles finally dropped the staff and stepped away from it and towards his dad.

"Druid," explained John as though that was anywhere near enough of an explanation.

"I'm gonna need more."

"Your mom was a non-practicing druid. It was another reason we chose to leave the old country."

"So how can I wield mountain ash still, after being a werewolf?"

John shook his head. "I'm not completely sure, though Deaton might have some insight. But my best guess is that druids were known for being more connected to nature than most. So perhaps that blood running through your veins still allows you to wield the weapons of nature."

Stiles thought for a moment. "Okay. Assuming that's true, what does that mean for me? And for the pack?"

Derek grinned, feral and excited, sending a shiver through Stiles. "It means our enemies will underestimate us."

John wiped a tear from his eyes. "It means your mother will always be with you."

Three days later, Stiles would learn just how valuable he now was, when Gerard Argent came to town with an army of omegas and code-less hunters.

* * *

**Notes:**

Stiles got over the fact that werewolves could hear him having sex pretty quickly. However, his uncle and Alexei seemed to take particular pride in sharing tips the next morning over breakfast, and they got Erica and Jackson into the same habit. So Stiles and Derek don't get as much sex until they're gone.

Alexei told Allison and Chris they could either hunt or be hunters. One carried a legacy and the other a stigma. There were also some pretty brutal words thrown around about guilt and blame and just what consequences the Hales were perfectly in their rights to bring onto the Argents and any hunters associated with them for the actions of Kate and Gerard. Allison told Chris that she was the leader of the family now and he was going to fall in line. Alexei approved.

While Stiles is an alpha, John is in a sense the town's alpha as Sheriff and Derek does defer to his judgment. John is also the true representative of the Biryukov pack and so the alpha in him is stronger than in Stiles, hence the need for Zolner to talk to just John and Derek about alpha stuff.


	6. Chapter 6

Stiles sat up quickly when Isaac, Allison, and Dimitry came barreling through the loft door. He was having a nice nap on Derek's chest before going to dinner with John & Zolner. But now both he and Derek were on high alert. Dimitry seemed calmer than the others but still concerned. Isaac and Allison were in full on panic.

"What happened?" asked Derek. He and Stiles moved apart so the other three could sit on the couch between them. Vera & Yuri had been teaching them that tactile comfort went a long way in strengthening a pack.

"Gerard…" gasped out Isaac.

"Is dead," supplied Stiles helpfully.

Allison shook her head. "He's in the woods."

"No, his head was chopped off by my father and sent to the Hunters Council as a warning."

Dimitry stepped in. "Isaac and Allison were too upset for us to stay and I can't scent anything. I can't tell you what's going on other than you've got a man leading a substantially sized caravan into town."

Derek tilted Allison's chin up so she was looking at him. Her eyes were fearless, even if her body was still shaking a little. "Allison, are you sure it was Gerard?"

"If it's not him, it's something possessing his body," she answered.

"Stiles," began Derek.

"Already on it." He pulled out his phone, stepped away from the couch and started making calls, gathering the pack to them.

Stiles asked his dad to go with Zolner to see if they could get any other information. He then called Alexei to go bring Chris to the loft, and that he needed to bring the Argent beastiary with him.

Derek moved himself between Isaac and Allison, holding the pair until they were calm enough to talk again.

Dimitry busied himself by putting a pot of coffee on and heating up water for tea. It was undoubtedly going to be a long night.

* * *

"Definitely not human," was Zolner's first assessment once the pack was gathered.

"How can you tell?" asked Boyd. He and Stiles had been working the hardest on identifying different scents so this was important to him.

"Humans usually smell like combinations of living things, spices, and material objects. Like lemon or cinnamon or car oil," explained Zolner. "This one reeked of death and decay."

Stiles thought about it. "That would make sense, if it is in fact Gerard's form that it's possessing. Since Gerard is dead. Right, Dad?"

John nodded. "Gerard is definitely dead. But we did get close enough to verify that it is definitely using Gerard's likeness. What that means as far as its strength, I don't know."

"Any other scent or identifiers?" asked Derek.

"There was a faint trace of rotten eggs," offered Scott, who had gone with the two alpha wolves, since he was more familiar with Gerard's visage.

"As in sulfur?" Dimitry perked up at that bit of information.

"Yeah."

"What are you thinking?" asked Stiles, watching Dimitry process.

"I'm not sure yet." Dimitry looked puzzled. "Technically sulfur would indicate demon possession."

"But why would a demon waste time in a dead man's body?" Zolner was on the same wave length as his mate. "Either it can get something out of Gerard or whatever it is has to use the dead to do it."

"Gross," muttered Jackson.

Stiles privately agreed with him. "So research time?"

"Call Deaton first," suggested Derek. "He might be able to save us some time."

"Do you think he'll help?" asked Scott.

Derek and Stiles gave him equally curious looks.

Scott shrugged. "Hey, I know the guy's my boss and I'm usually arguing to trust him but Deaton's always kinda vague about shit. I'm just not sure he'll be that helpful."

"He hates Gerard and all things Argent," said Derek. "More than my family does. I think that and the threat to Beacon Hills will be enough."

John volunteered to call and the others waited to see what information he could gather. Stiles noticed that Allison seemed to be fully recovered, as did Isaac. Now Gerard—or whatever this was—was only an enemy to be fought, no longer the shock to their systems.

"What about the people with Gerard?" asked Allison. "Do we have any idea of numbers or what exactly we're dealing with?"

"I sent Elena and Yuri to find out," answered Zolner. "They should be back shortly with an accurate count. And Alexei…"

"Is here," said Alexei, stepping into the loft with Chris right behind him. Both men carried two large black bags with them, no doubt full of various weaponry. "We may still need to dip into our personal weapons supply but this should be enough to sufficiently arm the humans."

"Excellent." Zolner moved off the couch and over to the stairs to confer with Alexei and inform Chris of the remaining details they knew.

Chris tossed the flash drive at Stiles who plugged it into his computer and started searching for any clues as to what they were facing.

"Deaton thinks it sounds like a ghul," said John, returning to the two packs. "But he did suggest that we verify that with the information in the beastiary."

Stiles held up a hand. "Definitely a ghul."

"I thought those were just creatures in graveyards," said Isaac.

"That's ghoul with an "o". This is g-h-u-l and it says it's very like the regular ghoul but is actually a demon. According to the information here, the way to kill it is to rip its head off but that they are very fast, faster than a lot of supernatural beings, making them harder to catch."

"Why does it look like Gerard?" asked Scott.

John answered that one. "Ghuls feed off of dead or living humans, but usually stick to the dead to avoid hunters or the attention of other supernaturals. At least that's what Deaton said. According to his knowledge on the creature, ghuls can take on the appearance of the last person they snacked on and access recent memories."

"So why would this ghul choose to take on Gerard's appearance and come back here?" Allison spoke but Stiles shared her confusion.

"How does a ghul gain power?" asked Dimitry.

"Um…" Stiles searched the document as fast as he could. "It looks like they stay alive by eating the dead, gain some strength from eating humans, but if they can get a living supernatural meal, that can keep a ghul satisfied for several decades."

John's Sheriff skills kicked into full gear and his eyes glinted. "I told Gerard what I was when I killed him. I wanted him to know he died at the hands of a born werewolf, even if I was still human in the moment. The ghul would have seen that memory."

Dimitry was right there following that train of thought. "And the ghul only saw an un-shifted Biryukov. That kind of power has to be incredibly tempting. It wouldn't have to feed for years and being able to look like you would continue giving it access to a food supply."

"Gross," muttered Isaac.

Stiles couldn't help but agree. "Obviously the ghul got unlucky, since the Alpha pack changed things up on us. So how do we kill it?"

Lydia had pulled the computer over to her and was simultaneously texting. "Deaton says it's susceptible to standard supernatural protections like mountain ash and salt."

"But someone has to be able to use those materials," noted Jackson. He was somewhat reading over her shoulder but mostly just listening to the discussion. "And the ghul moves too fast, it'd kill the humans first."

"Plus I don't think the humans have the strength to tear its head off, even if we could get close enough," added Dimitry. "I didn't bring my sword with me."

"We have one," offered Allison.

Stiles grinned deviously. "You guys are forgetting something."

Derek's eyes brightened at the same as Boyd's, both remembering the training session a few days ago. "You can still use mountain ash," said Derek.

Stiles nodded. "Yup. So if I trap the ghul in a mountain ash circle and use remaining ash on the body itself to slow it down & weaken it, one of you can take care of the head, right?"

"Yes," agreed Zolner.

Alexei looked up from where he was conferring with Chris. "I'll go with Stiles and take care of it. Chris would prefer not to be a direct witness."

"Of course," noted Derek, understanding where Chris was coming from. He still didn't like that he'd had to kill Peter the first time around, even knowing that Peter had killed Laura first.

A knock on the door and the subsequent entrance of Elena and Yuri put everyone on alert and then relaxing again.

"We're going to need all hands for this one," said Elena.

"Problem?" asked Zolner.

"Nothing we can't handle," answered Yuri. "They've set up camp at the Hale house."

"Do we know that it is?" Elena looked completely unaffected by the idea of facing an enemy.

"Ghul," answered Dimitry. "Stiles and Alexei are going to handle it."

Elena nodded in acceptance. "Then the rest of us can take care of his supporters. The ghul has both omegas and hunters working with him. We noted fifteen hunters and twenty two omega werewolves."

"I was able to get close enough to learn that the others plan on distracting us during tomorrow's training session—though they were operating off the assessment that only the Hale pack is an issue—and the ghul will go after John while he's alone at home," continued Yuri.

"How did the ghul manage to get omegas to fight against other werewolves?" asked Derek.

Peter answered. "They'd be able to smell that it wasn't actually Gerard. The ghul probably agreed to secede the territory to them once we were killed."

"The omegas look clean and respectable," noted Elena. "There's no way for any of the hunters in the party to know that they travel with werewolves. I suspect the ghul intends to disappear once it gets its power and let those remaining deal with the fallout."

"Now what?" asked Derek. He gave a half smile at the round of confused looks from his own pack. "I've learned that asking for advice is the sign of a good leader. So Alpha Zolner, I could use your assistance in planning our next move."

Zolner nodded, proud of Derek for recognizing that fact. "Perhaps while the others go home and get some sleep, we, Scott and Alexei can come up with a plan."

Derek agreed with that plan—and allowed for Stiles, John, and Chris to join the planning as well—the others went home in pairs, a Biryukov pack member with each set of Hale pack mates for extra protection just in case.

* * *

The next morning as the pack gathered again, were given orders based on the plans, and set out to take on the Gerard ghul and his allies, Stiles couldn't help but think that it all seemed too easy.

But as the day progressed, and the battle raged, he realized it was that easy.

The training through games that the Biryukov pack had insisted on created a pack with much better senses than mere sparring had created.

Taking down the ghul itself was easy. Stiles drove off in his jeep that morning, supposedly human. He scented the ghul a block away.

John wasn't at the house anyway, so Stiles parked around the corner and ran back in time to slip through the back door.

Dimitry was taunting the ghul, holding it back with—ironically enough the Argent sword—drawing it ever closer to the open mountain ash circle Stiles had set up in his dad's bedroom.

They'd recorded his dad's voice and sounds like he was in the shower getting ready for work and unable to hear the noises. Stiles marveled at the way Dimitry danced about, seemingly fighting off the ghul, but all the time letting the monster believe it was making headway by getting to the Sheriff.

The movements of the hunter were almost poetic and Stiles realized that all the obstacle courses they'd worked through prepared them for situations like this. The pack members had gotten to run through each course once and then after that they were blindfolded and made to do it again while still dodging all the obstacles. Stiles had learned that while scent and hearing helped, it was Erica who first figured out the solution.

She'd watched Jackson and Allison struggling and Erica had started moving her feet in small motions while she waited. Stiles hadn't noticed until it was his and Erica's turn. Erica had practically flown through the course without any issues, simply by moving in a route she'd already planned.

After that, the others did the same. When new obstacles were added, the steps were adjusted and they made the obstacles work to their advantage.

Now Stiles could see how it paid off in reality. Dimitry didn't need to watch what he was doing. He'd planned his route and was just forcing the enemy to play along.

Stiles had been concerned about the ghul's speed, but he saw very quickly why the Biryukov pack had the reputation it did. There was still a slight danger. Overall though, Dimitry twisted and lunged in a blur of movement, wielding the sword like a master.

Stiles quickly entered the room and sealed the ash, trapping the ghul, then threw another handful of ash at it, causing the ghul to cringe and scream in pain.

Dimitry sliced the ghul's head off in a quick stroke.

"Huh," observed Stiles. "That was anticlimactic."

Dimitry laughed. "You'll find that with a well-trained, cohesive pack, most battles aren't nearly as exciting as you imagine."

"Still," said Stiles, staring at the decaying body on the floor—he wasn't looking forward to cleaning that up later—"I didn't even get to practice my trash talking."

"We can go join the others and see if there's still a chance for that," offered Dimitry, cleaning his sword and sheathing it.

"Cool. Cool cool cool."

Stiles did get a chance to throw out a few taunts, but for the most part, the other battle was over almost as quickly.

The Hale pack moved as one against their enemies.

In fact, Stiles spent more time hovering on the edge of the battle, watching the others. The friendships of the pack were still being worked on but he noticed that the most antagonistic relationships worked best when fighting.

Erica, Scott, Boyd used distraction as their primary weapon of choice. Erica would attack first, all fire and fury, while Boyd and Scott took advantage of the omegas' focus on Erica to rip throats out quickly and efficiently.

Peter used words to his greatest advantage, taunting and teasing hunters away from the main fight, only for Lydia to stab them in the back. Stiles noticed too that Peter never turned his back to Lydia and he suspected that Peter would stay in line as long as she was around.

Allison and Isaac were the most disturbing of the fighters in Stiles' opinion, as both seemed to embrace the bloodthirstiness of the battle more than the others. Still, he couldn't deny that as a combined force, they were the most deadly of the Hale pack.

But it was the Biryukov pack that Stiles most marveled at. Yuri and Vera were assigned to watch the roads, making sure no enemy managed to slip away and try to escape into town. That left Zolner, Elena, Dimitry, and Alexei to fight. Stiles watched the four fight, looking they were reading each other's minds as they fought, so fluid were the movements.

The enemy never stood a chance.

Twenty minutes after Stiles and Dimitry joined their packs, the battle was over and the cleanup work began.

* * *

"Thank you again, for everything," said Derek as he shook Zolner's hand, then was pulled into a massive hug.

The Biryukov pack was leaving, two weeks after the ghul issue, and with the knowledge that their family were safe with the Hale pack.

"We're allies now," said Zolner, "But more importantly we're family, so if you ever need any help, give us a call."

"And you're all welcome to visit anytime," added Dimitry, hand firmly clasped on Zolner's shoulder as he hugged Stiles with his other arm. "I'm sure Natalya would love to meet all of you."

Stiles hugged each member of the other pack fiercely. They'd all grown close to each other and it was a little painful to see them leave.

Zolner and John held on a little tighter, both making promises to visit, and then the Biryukov pack were gone, driving back to the airport.

Derek tugged Stiles to his side as they watched the cars disappear in the distance. "You okay?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. It just feels weird."

"How so?"

"We don't have any enemies right now," explained Stiles. He looked out at his fellow pack mates. "I'm not sure what to do without anyone trying to kill us."

Erica and Scott laughed.

"We could order pizza and watch a movie," suggested Jackson, who had an arm around Lydia and Danny.

Lydia perked up.

"Not The Notebook!" A chorus of voices quickly overruled what they knew would be Lydia's suggestion.

"Monsters' University is out," said Isaac.

"Deal if we can watch Monsters' Inc. afterwards," said Stiles. At the agreement, he followed the others into the loft.

Later, as Derek snuggled against him and Erica leaned on his legs against the couch, Stiles looked over at his dad who was talking with Chris and Peter.

"You did good," he whispered to Derek.

Derek turned slightly to kiss him. "We all did."

Stiles couldn't argue with that.

* * *

**Told y'all to trust me on the Gerard thing! :D**

**Anyone catch the Community reference?**

**If you've read some of my other stuff, you probably know this, but I'm a big fan of anticlimactic battles. I always think that if you practice and train enough, it should be easy to defeat the bad guys. Plus, in this case the ghul had no idea there were biryukov pack members there. He was trying to attack a pack that in Gerard's memories were a disaster and falling apart. The one he encountered was very different.**

**I took some liberty with the ghul mythology, though a lot of elements are still correct. **


	7. Chapter 7

A few years go by and yet another pack of Alphas threaten Beacon Hills.

Word never spread about a Biryukov alpha being in the Hale pack. Let alone two.

It wasn't supposed to. Allowing others to know that a Biryukov was turned against his will opens up suspicions of weakness. They are not weak.

Deucalion's entire pack was killed within a week of Zolner's arrival in California. John couldn't bring himself to feel guilty about it, despite having spared Deucalion himself.

And so word never spread about the two new Alpha additions to the Hale pack. The news that two Argents had been added to the ranks made its way slowly through the various grapevines.

The silence is the reason there is another Alpha pack here today.

There are rumors about Beacon Hills. Rumors of hunters who run with wolves, of wolves who fight like druids, of Alphas who take on the role of betas. They say the Alpha of Beacon Hills defers to no less than five others and accepts outside counsel on how to run his pack.

Those who listen a little more closely hear the other rumors. The ones about ghouls and goblins who sink back into the earth around Beacon Hills, never to return. There are those who say the only things going bump in the night in Beacon Hills are the ones tripping over themselves to get out of town fast enough.

But the rumors are never verified by any witnesses.

The Hale pack no longer believes in leaving a witness.

John stands to the right side as Stiles and Derek take the front and center positions against enemies. Peter is at the left, the negotiator of the pack.

Enemies often don't realize until it's too late that Peter is a double edged sword. His voice drips sarcasm as he offers the chance for peace; he's condescending to a fault when he suggests they find a way to move on without bloodshed. Without fail, it raises the ire of an enemy, negating any and all possibility of resolving the conflict.

It's what the Alphas of the Hale Pack—Derek and his mate—want in the first place.

It's what they all want.

Mercy puts the people they love at risk.

To the town, the pack is an odd sort of found family that participates in charity events, works in all manner of jobs that keep them invested, and are weirdly beloved by the canine population.

To each other, the pack is everything. The days of mistrust and petty fights are long behind them.

The pack is still young but they've had weddings and funerals together. In two months, they'll celebrate the first pack birth as well.

To see the Hale pack at home is to see the picture of love and of family and of contentment.

Such images happen when the town and the pack are protected. It only took the battle with the coven—led by the hunters who had been with the Gerard ghul and been spared due to surrender & promises of peace— following the ghul's attack to teach them once and for all that mercy, in some cases, is a fatal mistake. So yes, they provoke the occasional attack. The threat was already there, it's not the worst act in the world.

To see the Hale pack in battle is to know death is coming for you and stare it in the face.

They protect their own. They always will.

* * *

**Several of Derek's meetings with John & Zolner were actually spent hunting down and killing the Alpha pack. Zolner didn't think they should be left alive, particularly as they posed a threat to the pack and by the code, were subject to death because of their attack on John. Derek agreed.**

**This story ended up a lot more work than I originally intended. I've got some other WIPs and commissions to finish first, but the next BAMF story will feature Human!Stiles, most likely with a bat because I like such things.**


End file.
